Electric railway



2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

' O. T. MASON.

ELECTRIC RAlLWAY.

Patented Feb. 21

an whoa:

m Model.) 2 SheetS-Sheet. 2. G. T. MASON.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

N0. 378,259. Patented Feb. 21, 1888;

lvd macaw i gmvam coz W g i Unrrnn Srn'rns fPa'rnnr Current CHARLES T. MASON, OF SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MARYLAND ELECTRIC MOTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BALTI- MORE, MARYLAND.

ELECTRI G Hill LWAY.

.Z-PECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,259, dated February 21, 1888.

Application filed January 22, 1887. Serial No. 225,182. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern: the letter B and their electric connections by Be it known that I, CHARLES T. MASON, a the letter C. citizen of the United States, residing at Suin- A third part of my invention consists in imter, in the county of Sumter and State of South proving the conductivity of the connected 5 Carolina, have invented certain new and userails of the circuit and decreasing the leakage ful Improvements in Electric Railways; and of electricity therefrom by a copper plating, I do hereby declare the following to be a full, and this plating is indicated by the letter D. clear, and exact description of the invention, It may be here said that this plating may be such as will enable others skilled in the art to deposited upon the rails Bby the electroplating 10 which it appertains to make and use the same. process, or in any other suitable manner, and My invention relates to electric railways; that it may cover the whole or any one or more and it has for its object the improvement of entire lengthwise portions thereof; but 1 prethat system in which the wheels of a car or fer to plate thebottoin of the rail only, as when a train of cars, or other contrivances necessary plated on top or sides the plating is apt to be as electrical connections or conductors of a worn on. motor-car, car, or train of cars are electrically A fourth part of my invention is to arrange connected with a motor or series of motors, each of the insulated rails A opposite the 6 and to which motor or motors electrical energy electricall y-connected rails B, and to also make is transmitted by or along one rail or series of these opposing rails of unequal length, and 20 rails and returned by or along another rail or also to make the insulated rails A longer than series of rails. the opposite connected rails B, so that the ends The chief purpose of my invention is to proof each rail A will extend beyond the ends of vide a track or tracks which shall be practithe opposite rail B, as shown in the accompacally insulated at any point of crossing, subnying drawings. The insulated rails may be 2 5 stantially preventing all danger of injury or insulated by their ends being simply separated shock from the electrical current to any anifrom the others, or by placing insulating mamal, person, or vehicle at any point of cross terial 6 between their ends and the ends of the 7 5 ing over or passing along by or upon such adjoining rails. track or tracks by any vehicle or animal,while Still another part of my invention is to in- 0 at the same time permitting the employment sulate the electric connections C (which may of currents of any character or degree of be copper or other wire or other suitable constrength. doctor) and place the same under ground or To this end my invention consists of the implace them above ground and covering them provements, as hereinafter described and parwith proper insulating material. The con- 3 5 ticnlarly claimed. necting-wires may be extended along by the Hy invention is illustrated in the accomparails on the ties or other supports; but I prenying drawings. fer to lay them outside of the ties of sleepers, 8

Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of railas shown, in order to enable the track, rails, way; Fig. 2, a side elevation of car and track 5 or ties to be repaired or replaced without die- 0 and Fig. 3, a plan showing car-track with 1110- turbing them.

tor and their electrical connections with track. I fix no arbitrary length of either class of One part of my invention consists in insurails, only remarking that the insulated ones lating alternate rails on each side of the track, should be longer than the others. For this and in the drawings these insulated rails are purpose rails already manufactured may be 4 5 indicated by the letter A. cut into unequal lengths. It is, however, nec- Another part of my invention consists in essary that the motor-car, car, or train carry= connecting the circuit with the remaining 211- ing or connecting with the motor or motors 5 ternate rails, and these rails are indicated by should be of such length thatthewheel,wheels,

or other contrivanccs necessary as electrial connections or conductors on each side of the car should be always on the connected or circuited rails. For this purpose my invention is further illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

G is a truck or car provided with four large wheels, H H, and four small ones, I 1. Both sets of wheels may be employed as brushes for taking up the electricity from the contact sections or surfaces B, the incoming and return currents being carried from such wheels through conducting-wires m to a motor, L, onto the truck.

It will be seen, as illustrated in Fig. 3, that the arrangement of wheels is such that when one wheel or set of wheels, as H, is on a contact, B, on one side of the track, the opposite wheel or set of wheels, H, will be on the directlyopposite insulatedsection A, and so with the respective wheels I and I; but it will also be seen that in order that the incoming and return current shall always be continuous, connection is always maintained between the diagonally-opposite contact, 13, as when one of the wheels H or H is on a contact a diagonally-opposite wheel, such as I or I, is on a diagonallyopposite contact, the wheels on the same side being also so arranged that as one of the forward wheels leaves a contact, one of the succeeding wheels will strike the same contact.

It will be seen by my invention that there is no point on the track that a line can be drawn across at right angles which can make the electrical connection. Thus the distances between the contacts is so increased that all danger of circuiting by persons or vehicles with the exposed surfaces of the opposite contacts is avoided, and the contact-surfaces themselves are thus enabled to be exposed on the level of the ground. By the diagonal arrangement, too, a far less number of contacts need be employed than in those systems having directly-opposite contact-points, thus lessening the amount of leakage and cost of construction. My invention is also applicable to a double-track system.

What I claim is- 1. In an electric-railway system, contactpoints of the conductors for the incoming and outgoing currents, arranged diagonally opposite each other at intervals along the track, whereby the distance between such contacts is increased, substantially as described.

2. In an electric-track system, alternate insulated rails in combination with alternate electrically-connected rails, substantially as described.

3. An electric-railway system having a double line of rails, each line made up of alternately-insulated and electrically-connected rails, the insulated rails in one line arranged opposite shorter electrically-connected rails in the other line, substantially as described.

4. In an electric-track system, the combination, with alternate insulated rails in combination with alternate electrically-connected rails, each insulated rail placed opposite a connected rail, and an electric conductor circuiting-all the connected rails, substantially as described.

5. In an electric-track system, the combination of the alternate insulated rails and the alternate connected rails, the rails of the different sets being of unequal length, substantially as described.

6. In an electric-track system, the combination, with alternate'connected and insulated rails, of the conductor insulated from the track and the track-crossings, substantially as described.

7. In an electric-track system,copper-plated rails electrically connected, in combination alternately with insulated rails of greater length, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. MASON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES W. DAVIS, J ULIUs MoRRIs. 

